This is the only 1911 I can find at this price. Does any one have any thoughts on it?
A friend of mine just got his cwp and has never owned a handgun. He wants the 1911 and I want to give him good advice but I have no experience with Taurus.

Taurus can be hit or miss and I might suggest there are better choices. Also, if he is looking for a gun to carry concealed, a full sized 1911, while a great gun, can be harder to conceal than many other guns.

I'd steer your buddy to a smaller gun since this will be his only carry piece.

I have one for a year now and fired over 3k rounds , mostly reloads , without single hick up.
I'd have no problem trusting it with my life.
Oly thing I've changed on my was ditching 2 piece guide rod and getting GI one
From what I'm reading , Tourus really stepped it up with quality and customer service lately.

__________________E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that.
I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

The PT1911 was my first 1911. I am now on my 4th 1911 I love the platform so much. The Taurus was excellent. It is what hooked me and it never, and I mean never malfunctioned. It ate any ammo I gave it including the cheap steel case crap. It felt great and was dead accurate. I put well over 2000 rounds through mine before upgrading. I would have no issue trusting this firearm for daily carry or just recreational use, whatever you choose.

If on a budget which it sounds like your friend is, you can buy a Rock Island Armory for a little less than the Taurus and they are excellent firearms.

I own a blued non-railed version and a stainless railed version. I own custom Colt's, STI Trojan, Springfields, etc and I purchased the first Taurus knowing that it was not likely going to be in the same realm as my other 1911's. As mentioned previously, you do get a significant amount of modern 1911 features for the money. Overall I was pleased enough with the first Taurus that I purchased the stainless one for my son to shoot. The blued model is far from stock now but that is because I felt that the base platform was worthy for me to customize. With a new trigger group and EGW angle-bore bushing, I'm shooting sub 3" groups at 25 yards from a rest. I've had two issues with the blued version and non with the stainless. One of the grip screw bushings backed out of the frame but that's just a drop of locktite and a screwdriver to fix. The other was that the plunger tube became loose. I have a plunger stacking tool so this was an easier repair for me as well. I've not had to use their warranty so I cannot comment on that.

If you can afford another $100, then the STI Spartan is within range and is a nice 1911 sample.

Or for less if you can find one, a Rock Island Armory 1911 is a very good value for the money. Made by the same people that supply STI with the base platform for the Spartan. They have a separate production line for Spartans and STI personnel overseeing production, but the RIA's are great from every account I've heard. May take a while before they're back in stock, but Bud's is a good online source for the Rock.

Have had one for a few years. Very accurate, out shoots my Springfield 1911.
Have had two problems, had to bend the extractor, it would only extract shell half way out about every 40 rounds, bending fixed that problem. Second problem, hammer lock would engage when over heated, about 15 to 20 rounds. Had to send back to factory, took 6 weeks, no problem since then. Maybe after a few more 1000 rounds I will have to confidence in it to carry it, until then its just a range gun which is fun and accurate to shoot. Also not that it matters, the blueing was terrible.

As a matter of fact, why not look at the STI Spartan. Everybody seems to like them. I have no personal experience with them myself.

If so inclined, I would probably buy the RIA tactical model over the Taurus, just because I'm not a fan of ambi safeties or FLGRs'.

I have a ''few'' friends that have the PT1911, they are quite happy with them. Taurus scares me, sometimes you just don't know what your going to get. I would only consider one if I could see it up close and personal to check it out.

Quote:

I will have to confidence in it to carry it, until then its just a range gun which is fun and accurate to shoot.

I've had a PT1911 for a little over a year. Haven't shot it a lot (maybe 500 rounds), but it always functions fine. I have put a few different types of ammo through it including my reloads without problems. Its more accurate than I am. I like it.

+1 for the RIA, there are lots of them in my area at least in the 400-500 area....my experience with taurus hasnt been plesent,,although if they have stepped up their game, as people are saying as they enjoy their taurus's they may be somthing to look at... another contender in that price range may be the reminton R1 which is a fine budget 1911 and is made in the USA

A single-action only semi-automatic is great, but ONLY if he is willing to practice handling and shooting it a LOT.

Taurus has a lot of detractors, but the Taurus 1911 has fewer complaints (that I have seen) than their striker-fired guns or their revolvers. I own three Taurus (a 22 revolver, PT92 and PT99) and they work great. But they are over 30 years old, not recent manufacture.

Many Old-timers (I'm 70) remember when the early Taurus production quality was pretty bad. Lucky for them and for many of us, they have improved the quality of their firearms line considerably. I have a PT 1911 SS that is everybit as good as a Ruger 1911 (IMHO), and comes pretty close behind my AMT Hardballer that is now 40 years old (20 of those with me).

Also, if he is looking for a gun to carry concealed, a full sized 1911, while a great gun, can be harder to conceal than many other guns.

Yes, there are other guns that are easier to conceal. The Kel-Tecs come immediately to mind. However, in a full sized handgun, few conceal easier than a 1911. It is barely more than an inch wide. They are heavy, which can make them hard for some to carry, especially if you have lower back pain. Barring that, and if you use a good stiff gun belt and a quality kydex or leather holster, they aren't hard to carry either.

i have 1911's from colt and springfield and taurus. i have had the taurus 1911 for 5+ years and it is my favorite 1911. the taurus 1911 comes with so many features you would pay at least 2 or 3 times more for the same features in a colt or springfield. the taurus shoots as well or better than my other 1911's and i have never had a single problem with the taurus. i have never had any problems with any of my 1911's tho. my taurus 1911 is a stainless model and i like the fit and finish better than my stainless springfield 1911.

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